In the current clinical application, an ultrasonic machine may be used to recheck the same region of a subject. To compare examination results made at different times, generally ultrasonic images obtained from each examination are stored such that the required image previously generated can be easily read and displayed when comparison is necessary during the next examination.
To ensure comparability of two examination results, the ultrasonic image of the current examination and that obtained from the previous examination should relate to the same region of the subject, which largely depends upon the clinical operation experience of the doctor, namely, how to accurately operate an ultrasonic probe. It is a challenge to those inexperienced doctors.
In general, consistency between anatomical locations on images from two examinations can help to determine whether said two images are generated from the same region of the subject. The anatomical location mentioned herein can be locations of the subject's organs such as bones and ligaments on the image.
However, in the prior art, doctors have to observe by themselves anatomical locations on two images to determine the consistency therebetween. The accuracy cannot be ensured.
Therefore, a method, apparatus, and ultrasonic machine for generating the fused ultrasonic images are in demand to extract the anatomical location from the available ultrasonic image and fuse it onto the real-time ultrasonic image in a current examination to thus generate a fused ultrasonic image which tells the user whether the currently obtained ultrasonic image and the previous ultrasonic image are generated based on the same region of the subject.